I\u2019ve always been pregnant at the same time as someone else. A childhood friend, a cousin, a coworker\u2013I\u2019ve never been pregnant alone.<\/p>\n

Our first son was born in May of 2011. His god sister had made her appearance 3 weeks before, and another playmate arrived soon after.<\/p>\n

Our second son came just 22 months later\u2013on the exact same day as a friend in Atlanta. A few weeks later, another little guy joined the crew.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been pregnant at the same time as someone else. Every time I\u2019ve been pregnant, there\u2019s been a friend (or two!) taking the journey along with me.<\/h4>\n

We\u2019ve bonded over cravings together. Wondered what labor would feel like together. Texted \u201cyou up?\u201d to each other at 2am. We\u2019ve taken pictures at baby showers together, heads and round bellies pushed close.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had someone to share my pregnancy worries with, to answer the questions I was too scared to go to my doctor with, to talk about nursing bras and breast pumps with. I was lucky enough to have someone who understood why I needed that one<\/em>. <\/span>Someone who was feeling the same feelings and having the same experience\u2013 someone who was pregnant at the same time.<\/p>\n

A study published in the American Sociological Review<\/a> found that friendship and pregnancy are linked\u2013they\u2019re actually kind of \u201ccontagious.\u201d<\/h4>\n

After observing 1,700 American moms over 15 years, the study found that \u201cfertility decisions are not only influenced by individual characteristics and preferences, but also by the social network in which individuals are embedded,\u201d said co-author Nicoletta Balbo, a postdoctoral fellow at Italy\u2019s Bocconi University.<\/p>\n

It happens with co-workers too. Sixteen nurses who worked in the intensive care unit at an Arizona hospital<\/a> were all due between September 2018 and February 2019. \u201cI was like, \u2018Oh well, I didn\u2019t plan this. Did we have some kind of pact going I didn\u2019t know about?\u201d said one mom.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to be pregnant at the same time as a friend to reap he benefits, though.<\/p>\n

Maternity maven Latham Thomas<\/a> talks about the sister circle, a support system of individuals who can serve as examples and inspiration throughout the pregnancy and after birth. \u201cLook at your social circles, the clubs you belong to, activity groups, and other communities you\u2019re part of\u2026,\u201d says Thomas. \u201cWho in your circle has also had a boy? Who can cook, to help with meals?<\/strong> If your mother lives far away, is there a mature woman in your life who could serve as a maternal presence for you?\u201d The sister circle ensures that you\u2019re supported during and after your pregnancy, and have someone to vent and lean on.<\/p>\n

And having mom friends isn\u2019t just good for you\u2013it\u2019s good for baby, too. When moms have more connections, their kids perform higher on cognitive assessments, a new study suggests. \u201cOutside the family context, mothers with larger social networks may be able to draw on resources from those networks that alleviate some of the burdens associated with parenting,\u201d said study co-author Kaja LeWinn, a psychiatry researcher at the University of California San Francisco. \u201cThis may include emotional support, tangible support in the form of babysitting or help with errands, and the transfer of knowledge around high-quality day care or other childhood programs. These resources may reduce parenting stress and improve maternal mental health, both of which are positively associated with child cognitive development.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

Researchers studied 1,082 mothers and children\u2019s<\/a> family structures, friendships, relationships, and cognitive tests when the children were 2 years old and found that the larger a mother\u2019s network, the more support she has. Having a group to depend on for help with babysitting or UberEats deliveries can ease the stress of parenting\u2013especially in the early weeks.<\/p>\n

Besides having someone to talk cravings with, having friends with kids can actually strengthen bonds. \u201cBecoming a parent is a radical change,\u201d says Balbo. \u201cBy observing their friends, people can learn to fulfill this new role\u2026friends can share the childbearing experience and thus reduce the stresses associated with pregnancy and child rearing. It\u2019s also easier for people to remain friends when they are experiencing parenthood at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have you ever been pregnant at the same time as a friend?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve always been pregnant at the same time as someone else. A childhood friend, a cousin, a coworker\u2013I\u2019ve never been pregnant alone. Our first son was born in May of 2011. His god sister had made her appearance 3 weeks before, and another playmate arrived soon after. Our second son…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/MMV-Header-Image-4.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4596"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4596"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4786,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4596\/revisions\/4786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymommyvents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}